Over the past few years as a beauty writer, I’ve navigated beauty spaces big and small.
The lighting and decor is almost algorithmic: neutral tones, beige furniture, gold fixtures, faceless art.
In such rooms, the nonconformity of our bodies and genders can seem loud.
Esthetician Leola Davis, seen here, offers healing to trans and nonbinary patients.
I don’t begrudge them this reality; the wellness industry is dominated by this kind of consumer.
When you settle in for treatment, you are surrounded by photographs of trans people thriving.
You are surrounded by a bounty of art affirming that Black Lives Matter, and so does beauty.
Davis applies topical products and uses LED treatments to help care for top surgery clients.
It’s what you feel when you close your eyes and trust Davis to take care of you.
There is no beige to be found; there is color, care, and community.
All of these details make Davis’s treatments transformative.
Davis is pictured here at her Los Angeles studio, where the walls are adorned with photographs of trans people of color.
I interview Davis while she gives me a facial.
In other words, we both get to work in the name of beauty.
Arabelle Sicardi: How long have you been in this practice?
How is it going?
Leola Davis:I opened in August 2021.
I’m still figuring out the patterns and grooves of the business.
I feel like the first year, I couldn’t tell what was happening.
Sicardi: It’s good you have people it’s possible for you to talk to.
The group is just giving each other advice.
I use DMK almost exclusively now for mytop surgerytreatments.
It’s great for scar care and helping the body heal after surgery.
I cant name another esthetician who offers the treatment, even in Los Angeles or New York.
Davis:I looked all over to see if anybody else was doing this, and they weren’t.
I started offering the top surgery treatments a year ago.
I’ve done hundreds at this point.
I just started offeringpost-facial feminization surgery(FFS) treatments as well.
I was like, “What did your surgeon tell you to do?”
She said her surgeon didn’t give her any aftercare.
These are really intense surgeries thatneedaftercare and proper attention.
I started doing a ton of research and began my preparation.
How should you address them at home or in the office?
Davis:We work on preventing their scars from becomingkeloidor hypertrophic, trying to reduce pigment and inflammation.
I do a lot of massage andLED treatments.
Davis applies topical products and uses LED treatments to help care for top surgery clients.
We want healthy, hydrated scars.
When people commit to coming in on a regular basis and upkeep at home, their scars look great.
It also depends on how you feel about scars.
Some want their scars, and others don’t want them to show at all.
Sicardi: Everyone has a different relationship with their body and what they want it to look like.
Davis:It totally depends on the person.
I’m always just looking to reduce inflammation, do massage, and [add] hydration.
I specialize in this because I’ve done so many now.
I know what works and what doesn’t.
I figured out how to help, and that helped other clients down the road.
I’d love to go over my treatment plan with surgeons and be part of aftercare teams.
Davis:When I started doing this, my goal was to not have anyone feel like an afterthought.
I’m learning so much.
Often they’re like, “Oh, these are things I never even thought of.”
So let’s get you thinking about these things!
You are saying your services are for everyone, but your business model doesnt reflect that.
I was on a podcast calledSkin in the City,hosted by an esthetician named Casey Boone.
We talked about how to make the treatment room accessible and the importance of what I’m doing.
And through making a couple of posts, I’ve had other estheticians reach out to me.
I get a lot of students following me who are currently in school or just graduated.
And I feel like the new estheticians I see, their profiles are more explicitly accessible.
People are realizing the importance of having inclusive spaces.
Sicardi: That’s really important: a more accessible future.
It’s a dream.
How do you want to expand the dream in the next few years?
Davis:I want to open a medical spa that serves queer and trans people.
I want to have other queer and trans estheticians working there.
I would also love to do a tour and go to other cities and do pop-ups all over.
But really, my main goal is to open that med spa.
Sicardi: It’s wild that something like that doesn’t already exist.
Davis:It’s such a hassle!
I always have people coming in and asking where to go for things.
There are so many gender-affirming services, and folks are missing out on care and on clients.
I want them to have access to that and more leisurely things, like soaking tubs.
My trans girlfriend can’t go with me to the spa.
I would love to have a space where that’s not an issue.
Sicardi: So real.
That was years ago, and the problem still exists.
But you highlight different trans-affirming estheticians around the country all the time.
Can you tell me more about how you meet them?
I wish I could be everywhere at once.
A lot of the products in the box are what I use when I’m doing in-person treatments.
“Ive seen so many people cry tears of appreciation.
They’re like, ‘I never thought I would have this jot down of care.'”
Sicardi: Makes total sense.
What is the lesson that you carry forward?
Davis:To have faith in myself.
I wanted to give up a lot of the time.
I didn’t think I was going to be able to stay open past a year.
A lot of people dont want to push against the status quo.
I haven’t gotten a lot of acknowledgement in the esthetics community.
Sicardi: Do you feel like you’ve been iced out due to transphobia?
I face that a lot with estheticians and brands.
I wonder if brands take me seriously.
But I’m enjoying what I do.
It was mostly Black and brown people.
I like being able to offer skin care to people who’ve never had it before.
I want to help other people feel good, held, and supported.
That’s what Im aiming to do.
I’ve seen so many people cry in here, and it’s tears of appreciation.
You’re the first person to see my chest post-surgery."
I want people to come here and be comfortable.
